Category: Projects

It’s that time of year when the trees have started to fully pop with leaves, the flowers and coming up and everything is looking green and pretty. It’s also that time of year when my sinuses go crazy and hate me. Thankfully I can take lots of stuff to make that a bit easier. It also means I can throw open all the windows and listen to the birds happily chirping at the great weather.

I have started a couple projects in the last few days. That’s the problem when I don’t feel well. I need something new to occupy my mind. Just ignore that bag of wips..and that bag….aaand that bag. lol We went out to the local yarn store last week to meet up with a friend who was in town, and I was drawn to this lovely Miss Babs yarn. I mean, when am I not?! I love her yarn. I think I have a problem. lol This one is Miss Babs Yowza in the Adobe colorway, and it’s so pretty! It’s a light dusty rose color and it’s gorgeous. It will become a sweater soon..I hope. Again, ignore the two sweaters I have on the go already. The pattern is Jesse’s Girl in the book by Kate Oates called “Grown”. It’s such a pretty sweater. It’s a pullover style, with lovely cables on the arms and the body. I thought the cables would make it go slower, but so far it’s going really well. The pattern starts with having you knit the sleeves, which I love. I usually do that with my sweaters, because I almost always lengthen the body. Doing the sleeves first means I know that the yarn I have left is all for the body.

This is the only thing I started from someone else. I did however start working on a new pattern design. This will become a t-shirt as Spring progresses. The prototype is being knit in Knit Picks Lindy Chain in the Serrano colorway. It’s a nice vibrant red. It’s a bit difficult to work with, because it splits a lot. It is still a very nice yarn, and very pretty, though. It won’t be as drappey as other lace weights, because it feels more like a cotton. The picture shows a wee taste of the sweater, only the neckline, and all the goodies piled up on the ottoman for all the calculations and things I have to do for sizing. There are even cat toys thrown in for good measure. 🙂

So, I went ahead with some projects that I really should not have, but I’m not sorry. hehe I’m in love with this first one. And of course we had a cold snap and I’ve needed it. It’s a double knit scarf, and it’s glorious! I used Miss Babs Yummy 2 ply Fingering Weight in Rejuvenate (purple) and a Knit Picks Palette Fingering Weight in Mist (grey). Heavenly. It’s a double knit scarf, and was a Mystery Knit a Long. It’s also designed as an RPG, so for each part of the story, you roll the dice to find out which chart of that series you are to knit. It was very intense, but I am in love with every part of it. I have already worn it once. The pattern is called Heroes of Yarnia.

In addition to the scarf and the items listed in my portfolio, I also released a pattern. It’s my Leaf Slouchy. It’s a simple slouchy hat with a leaf design on it that can be made as a slouchy in various sizes, or it can be shrunk down to be just a regular hat.

I’ll be finishing up a couple things soon, but unfortunately one will not have pictures for a while. It’s a test knit I am working on for someone else, and it’s a great shawl pattern. But, the designer is planning to have a Mystery Knit A Long starting in April, so until that is over, she doesn’t want to have any social media spoilers. But, as soon as I am given the okay, I’ll post that one.

I have also continued on with the Yarnia quest line, and am working on a blanket now. That is set to go until the end of November, with a clue being released every 2 weeks. I have a lot going on this year, for sure.

Since the blanket is released every two weeks, and since that shawl needs to be done by the end of March, I’ll be getting back to my designs very soon. Stay tuned!

I have been very busy lately, and have completed a decent amount of projects. Mom’s sweater is in the mail to her. Hopefully it’ll arrive safe and sound. I am so in love with this sweater. It is so amazing! After I blocked it, it just looked even better, which I didn’t think was possible. I really want one for myself. This pattern is the Herbst Rosina, and I made it with Miss Babs Yowza in the Cloak colorway. Such beautiful yarn, and a joy to work with. Did I mention I am in love with this sweater?

My Dreaming of Spring Fingerless mittens are finished, and are out for testing. They should be released late November.

This beauty is a test knit I did for Yarn Over New York. It is delightful! I have no idea what the yarn was, because the band was lost ages ago. The pattern is Fiortura Shawl, and I will link this in my portfolio page when it is released.

These are one of my patterns and is currently being tested. It’s proving to be a challenging one. But, hopefully it’ll be released on time. This one is being tested until November 30, 2016. They are called By The Shore Fingerless Mitts.

I also finished the second sock of my Diamonds by the Sea socks, and have better pictures. I love these. The yarn choice has to be a bit more specific, since anything too dark or variegated causes the cables to fade away. These should be released later in November.

I have been doing so many test knits lately, that I haven’t had a chance to do an update on where I stand on some of my WIP’s. This is of course not a full run down, because there are always WIP’s that go into hiding that I find months later. First up, I have a sweater that is going to be a Christmas gift. It’s the Herbst Rosina Jacket. This pattern is a bit of a challenge. I don’t know if it’s due to being translated, but some of the wording isn’t clear as I go through the pattern. Knowing how to knit a sweater helps a lot, as you know how things should be working. I would say this is a bit more of an intermediate pattern. There are increases, decreases, lace patterns and cables. Even though it may be a bit complicated at times, the sweater is gorgeous. It really is so pretty. I chose Miss Babs yarn. This is Yowza! What a Skein, in the Cloak colorway. It is amazing to work with. It’s not necessarily the softest yarn I have worked with, but my goodness is it squishy. It is absolutely perfect for any sweater that you want to just snuggle up into. It’s also sturdy enough to hold up to a pattern. Just perfect yarn.
Next up with have my Afmaeli sweater. I have made this once before, but it met an…unfortunate end. It will get a new life as a pillow case. >.> This one is going to be a bright and cheerful variation. I think I finally managed to get a picture of the color that is pretty close to true. It’s such a beautiful vibrant purple for the body. The yarn is Periwinkle Sheep Merino in Aran weight. I have the colorways of Plum Crumble, H.R.H., and Stones Dancing in the Fog. It’s beautiful yarn. Like the Miss Babs it is very squishy, yet sturdy. I do love that this particular yarn is not a solid color. It has slight variations in it, which gives a great look to a stockinette sweater. Sometimes sweaters can look a bit plain in a solid color, but this yarn is fabulous for giving it some definition.

This is a very new WIP. I started these only yesterday. They are Hermione’s Everyday Socks. I am using Camelot Dyeworks Percival, in the Midnight Express colorway. First off, this is the first time doing the Hermione’s socks. The pattern is so simple, and will give a great texture. However, it should not be used with such a bold variegated yarn as this. I can’t see the pattern what so ever. I will probably just keep going, but I haven’t decided. There is a good chance I will rip back to where the cuff ends and just do a vanilla sock. This yarn has so much detail already that a pattern just can not compete with it. The colorway is really pretty though.

I also have Honey Badger socks on the go. These are the socks that just will not end. I don’t know why. I love the pattern. I think it’s probably the yarn. It is Schoppel-Wolle in the Kleckse colorway. But, I have to be honest. Even though this yarn is very pretty, it is so splitty! It just keeps giving me trouble as I knit it. So, I keep putting it aside.

Last, but not least is a sock pattern that I am currently designing. I can’t give many details, other than this sneak peek.

These fingerless mittens are Center Ice Hockey Mitts, by Njeri Sims. This pattern comes with color combinations and recommendations for all the teams in the NHL, so you can make a pair based on your teams favorite colors, or a loved ones favorite team colors. You will need to know how to knit in the round, how to decrease and increase, and how to separate and pick up stitches for the thumb. The color work is pretty easy, and involves a large enough stripe that you will just stop using a color completely and rejoin when it’s needed again. I used Cascade Yarns Pacific for these. It is an acrylic yarn that came in a wide variety of colors, which was perfect for trying to match colors for my favorite hockey team.

These are my Lapsang Souchong socks, written by AlterLace. They were a lot of fun to make, pattern wise. However, I don’t think I would make them again using the Angora Lace yarn. I adore how they feel on my feet, but my goodness that yarn was so frizzy and fluffy that I kept getting bits up my nose. It also drowns out the pattern a bit. The socks have a lovely lace pattern that this yarn isn’t showing as well as I would like it to. Thankfully the pattern showed for me to take the pictures, but a couple wearings of them has made them start to fuzz together. The pattern itself is a lovely lace design, so you will need to know how to do some basics, such as increases and decreases, yarn overs, and slipping yarn over other stitches. She outlines her special stitches well, so if you know the basics, you should be able to follow her directions well.

The Stairmaster Scarf and Shawlette is a great pattern with visual interest. The pattern is actually quite easy to memorize, and has a look that makes it look very complicated. It’s sure to get compliments when it’s worn. You will need to know how to decrease, and how to cast on stitches as you progress in the pattern. I used Interlacements Sweet Feet, all 400 yards that I had. It was a close call on being able to finish before I ran out of yarn. This project took me a couple weeks to complete, but I wasn’t solely dedicated to working on this project. When I was getting towards the end, with the larger rectangles, I could work an entire rectangle in about 2 hours. Of course the initial ones are very tiny and go very fast.